back leg is up!

Okay, these are the exit signs here. Again...makes PERFECT SENSE...but in America, our exits just say "EXIT." In a world filled with language barriers, the American sign is no doubt, inferior. But every time I see this near a doorway or point towards one, I chuckle. I mean, little dude is in a full out run. His back leg is up and he is angled forward to maximize aerodynamics! Just because a person needs to exit a building doesn't mean there's an emergency. I get a kick out of this.

So the longer I live, the more I learn about myself. One thing I consider to be the most defining is my list of things I don't like. It consists mostly of foods, weird smells, etc. I've discovered I HATE CARAWAY SEEDS. Oh my gosh these little suckers are popping up everywhere. These are the same seeds used in Rye bread, but apparently are just adored in German cooking. We've been visiting a little Getränkemarkt (drink market/store) to locate some hard-to-find beers. The little old man who runs it is a hoot. A hoot I tell you. In a double effort to make a little more money but also to broaden our horizons of the local food and drink, he always recommends one of his little snacks that pairs perfectly with a beer or wine. First we were offered Zwiebelkuchen, which literally means onion cake in the German language, and is a one-crust pie made of steamed onions, diced bacon, cream, and caraway seed on a yeast dough. If it weren't for the caraway seeds, Zwiebelkuchen would have rocked. Today, after getting some special beer made by monks, he insisted we eat it with blood sausage,

of which he sold us a slice of light and dark. He said we should eat it on little hunks of bread and butter. Well it looked repulsive as hell, but turned out to be delicious. It tasted much like pâté, which Sam and I both love, mixed with bologna! We went by the bakery across from our hotel and got a few very normal looking little rolls...but to my disappointment, they had caraway seeds inside! Ick.

Lastly, I'm proud to say American fashion is spectacular. American women wear so many colors and styles, and wear them well! The "thing" this fall in Germany? PURPLE. That's it, purple. Now let me remind you we're in a small town. I'd hardly consider it a city, although it is. Maybe in Frankfurt, or Munich or some other big city, the fashion is booming as hot as in Manhattan. But anyway, E.V.E.R.Y. store window here has manakins strewn in layers and layers of purple. It's reedonkulous. Purple jeans, purple shoes, tights, scarves, headbands, earrings. They seem to have fashion tunnel-vision! It's not just the store windows either. Women of all ages are sporting their grape-uh-licious fashions as if their lives depended on it. It's sort of annoying.

Last night, on our way to dinner, I bought a purple shirt. When in Rome...